An eastern grey mother squirrel was discovered building a nest of twigs, dried pines and branches for her newborn babies on someone’s apartment, particularly in bed.
The man who owns the apartment asked for help and wildlife rehabilitators Christina and Michael answered his frantic call. They tried reuniting the babies with their mother but instead of taking them into the wild, the mother squirrel continued to bring nesting materials to the bed to surround the young squirrels. Ultimately, the mother stopped coming back and no longer returned for her babies.
Sadly, one of the newborn squirrels had died and after being examined by a local wildlife vet, it was concluded that the remaining baby would not be able to survive in the wild. So Christina and Michael decided to adopt the squirrel, and called it Little Thumbelina.
Thumbelina was special and different since the beginning. Due to uncommon birthing season and the loss of her sister, she grew up all by herself without interacting with other squirrels.
Her progress is also slow. While most babies don’t care for milk once they taste real food, Thumb was a big baby with a bottle who refused to eat real food. Unlike other squirrels who like to jump and climb, she prefers sitting and walking.
The family tried their best to introduce Thumb to other squirrels, but she’s not interested with them at all. Now, Thumbelina is a happy squirrel who enjoys the company of her Mom and Dad, spending most of her time with them. As their “little ambassador squirrel,” the family want to teach people how important it is to respect the wildlife and spread the message that “Each little life is big to the one living it.”
